


Safe House

by nerdwegian



Series: Tumblr Prompts [32]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-11
Updated: 2014-11-11
Packaged: 2018-02-24 22:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2599370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdwegian/pseuds/nerdwegian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ropes are tight enough that they hurt, but Clint doesn't acknowledge it, nor the guns aimed at his head. He can't take his eyes off Phil.</p>
<p>(Tumblr prompt: Tying up the other)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe House

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Laura for the excellent beta! <3 Warning for minor suicidal ideation.

The first thing Clint does is go to ground. He leaves behind all his safe houses and storage lockers and instead manages to acquire a passport in Brazil that gets him to Portugal. From there, he makes his way to France, where he trades one fake passport for another, and changes his hair.

He's not sure where Natasha is—all her covers are blown, and he knows the first thing she'll do is try to find a new one, but he has no clue where she'll start—and he doesn't know who else to trust.

Calling Stark is out of the question. Calling Cap is even more out of the question. Banner probably went into hiding even before Clint did, and Thor doesn't exactly have a cell phone. In Sweden, he tries it anyway; asks the sky carefully, "Heimdall? Uh, I don't know if you're listening, but I'm a friend of Thor's, and I could really use a hand?" But nothing happens. The skies remain silent.

He loses track of time, sometimes, especially when he's hiking off the grid. It's hard to remember exactly what day it is. He's surprised when a newspaper in Finland tells him it's been nearly a month.

He still can't get a hold of Natasha. He's starting to lose hope.

Clint's holed up in a cabin in northern Poland when they find him.

The door bursts open and Clint's on his feet instantly, expecting a bullet to the head, but it doesn't come. Instead, Phil Coulson—Clint's Phil, his own Phil—looking very alive and supremely pissed off, strides in, gun drawn.

All the air rushes out of Clint's lungs, and he feels like someone has physically punched him in the chest.

"Phil…?"

"Hands where I can see them, Hawkeye," Phil orders, in his most dire no-nonsense tone, and Clint feels like something breaks inside of him.

Behind Phil, he sees two baby agents he doesn't know, and, oh fuck his life, Melinda May. They all have guns, too, and they all look equally pissed off. Naturally.

Clint sighs heavily. "Should have expected it, I guess," he says, more to himself than anything, because Phil is—was—one of their best. Clint remembers the last time he saw Phil, and refuses to feel ashamed for how his eyes get misty.

"Shut up," Phil says sharply. "Sit down."

Clint doesn't quite see the point; they're just going to kill him, anyway. Still, he obeys and doesn't even attempt to get free as Phil ties him firmly to the chair. Clint's tired of running, and honestly, as long as he can just sit here and look at Phil, so very alive and real, right in front of him, he just doesn't give a shit anymore.

The ropes are tight enough that they hurt, but Clint doesn't acknowledge it, nor the guns aimed at his head. He can't take his eyes off Phil.

Once he's well and truly tied up, Phil pulls out his gun again and presses it against Clint's temple. Clint closes his eyes and thinks, _This is it, at least it's Phil, even if it's not the Phil I knew, at least it's Phil_ —but then Phil says, bitingly angry and menacing, "If you lie to me, I swear, I will end you, is that understood? This is your one and only chance to tell me the truth: Are you working for Hydra?"

Clint's eyes open.

Shocked, Clint turns to look at Phil—and in his eyes, Clint sees nothing but naked fear. Fear that Clint is the enemy, Clint realizes.

"I'm not working for Hydra," Clint answers honestly. "I am not. Phil, I'm me. I'm not."

For a long, tense moment, Clint's not sure Phil will believe him, but finally Phil lowers his gun and comes to stand in front of Clint.

"Are we just gonna take him at face value?" one of the baby agents asks, frowning.

"Not entirely," Phil says, and makes no move to untie Clint. "But his word is worth a lot more than a lot of other people I can think of off the top of my head."

"Just checking," Clint asks, forcing the words past the gigantic lump in his throat and trying not to think about how Phil deems him more trustworthy than most of what's left of SHIELD, "I'm not dreaming, right? Or dead? Or hallucinating?"

Phil shakes his head gently. "No."

Clint swallows heavily. "You're really you? Not dead-you? Or evil Hydra-you?"

Phil smiles. "I'm me."

End.


End file.
